The Space That Separates
by jayjang2
Summary: Naruto gets drunk, Sasuke gets… a kiss. One-shot. sasunarusasu, don't like? don't read.


_They're not like that._

How often does he need to remind himself to stop wishing for the opposite?

Two weeks.

Sasuke stayed in Konoha for two weeks and occupied the scant space in Naruto's apartment. Two weeks' worth of companionship and he's already feeling melancholic at the thought of their eventual good-bye.

Two weeks has passed and tomorrow, Sasuke leaves.

Hell, he'll miss drying the man's hair at night, that's for sure.

…

There are girls all around but his eyes keep on looking back at him. Naruto gritted his teeth at the sight of Sasuke's casual glances from across the table.

Any other time, he might scold himself for eyeing the man but not tonight when Sasuke is still physically reachable.

 _I'll miss you, bastard_.

He wants to say, to shout even, to whisper in his ears… maybe? But instead Naruto closed his lips over a glass filled with warm sake.

Sakura is hanging all over Sasuke, Naruto can see her hands creeping all over his chest and looking at him with admiration in her eyes.

A lot of things happened that changed them but some things remain the same… Like Sakura's attraction towards Sasuke or Sasuke meeting his gaze head on in a challenge or Naruto's obsession with it.

Naruto is thankful for the distraction of Hinata's soft voice whispering beside him and her hand on his thigh otherwise, he'll be sitting next to Sasuke, reacquainting his hands with his hair. How awkward could that be?

Sasuke's head slightly tilted on the side with an inquiring look, a ghost of smirk on his lips.

He is sucked back from his musings by a light tap on his cheek.

Naruto glanced over the girl beside him and saw Hinata looking curiously at him. Hinata must have asked him something while everything around him was tuned out. That must be the reason why Sasuke was looking so smug.

Her eyes are pale matching the lightness of her clear skin. Naruto cannot help but think that he quite like a bit of contrast… pale skin with dark hair, and even darker eyes….

Naruto once again raised his glass to drink, not surprised at all that his lips feel numb. His fingers are tingling with the amount of alcohol in his blood. The need to touch is strong and he found himself absentmindedly playing with Hinata's long hair.

He smiled at her because smiling is simple. So threw one of his easy smiles as Hinata which seems to please her judging from the faint blush covering her cheeks. That seems to work all the time.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Naruto asked over the loud chatter and music surrounding them.

Before Hinata could even speak, Sasuke's chair loudly scraped the floor and he stood up from his seat effectively entangling his limbs from Sakura.

"I'll go ahead, thank you for tonight" He nodded at the group politely but without acknowledgement to his blond team mate.

"I'll go with you Sasuke-kun" Sakura collected her purse and prepared to leave as well.

"I'm fine, Sakura, enjoy the rest of the night, I still need to get packed" Sakura's face fell at being turned down, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

Naruto almost called him out on the lie but stopped himself from commenting. If there's something he learned about Sasuke all these years it's that Sasuke never does anything without a reason… And he needs his alone time.

It took a lot of self-control on Naruto's part not to follow Sasuke. You can't blame him though, it's a given habit.

The glass in his hand is empty so he does what he was doing all night, pour himself more drink and drown everything out.

…

Naruto's body feels light and heavy at the same time. Pliable even with the force of the softest wind. But he's not drunk, he swears he's not drunk, at least that was what he was telling Kiba when he told Naruto to go home and get some rest. And to prove Kiba right, he managed not to trip over his feet as he went out of the restaurant and left the group behind him.

It was when Naruto is standing in front of his apartment door that he tried to recall how he actually got home. The only thing on his mind is the sound of Sasuke's voice in his head berating him on drinking too much.

Sasuke. Sasuke. Sasuke. Naruto's body is swimming in alcohol and the Uchiha is still all he ever thinks about. The guy is probably sleeping by now, oblivious of the turmoil inside Naruto.

Naruto opened the door to his (their?) apartment as gently as he can manage but all he did was push the door with too much force and it banged to the wall. He stumbled through the door as he accidentally let go of the knob but was able to balance himself by holding onto the door jamb.

"Ugh, shit."

Naruto held himself up and breathed before stepping inside the threshold, as he finally noticed the man seated right before him shuffling some scrolls and papers at the middle of his (their?) apartment.

Straight backed like he always is, Sasuke stared at him with the expression of a rock. A very smooth rock. His back is against the far wall a leg bent while the other stretched in front of him. Both their sleeping mats are out and ready for use which surprised Naruto. Maybe because Naruto expected Sasuke to let him struggle setting up his own mattress, considering that that after all these years, Sasuke still takes amusement to seeing Naruto suffer. No matter how trivial it is.

"I thought you'd be sleeping by now", Suddenly feeling sober, Naruto toed his sandals to remove them, as he looked over Sasuke with glassy eyes. His eyes roamed greedily at the other man's form, drinking him for the last time before they see each other again in who knows when.

"I was just finishing up", Sasuke said as he carefully finished up with rolling the scrolls around him. The blond noticed the hesitation in Sasuke's movement and the scrunch in between his brows and Naruto can't help but think - _oh damn, he was waiting for me_.

"Or… you were waiting for me", Naruto said as a matter of fact walking towards the sink and filling a cup with water from the tap.

Sasuke's hands stilled before closing the small travel bag where he kept all his belongings and looking back at Naruto again. Now with a sharp look in his eyes, Sasuke seemed to decide that he doesn't want to escape whatever it is that's going to happen.

"I thought you'd be spending the night with your trophy girlfriend"

"Please, no need to be bitter when you passed a chance with yours", Naruto spat without care that he sounds as sour as he implied Sasuke to be, "Besides, you'd make a better trophy girlfriend".

Sasuke snorted. His lips lifting in a shy smile.

"Oh really, now?", the Uchiha teased, scoffing to hide the fact that suddenly he feels light headed at Naruto's bluntness.

"Shut up, I'll be the best boyfriend ever"

"I know…", Sasuke pressed his eyes closed and forced the words out, almost ashamed that he admitted it out loud. That any other time, he'll let Naruto's innuendos die with a shrug or an insult or a punch, but not tonight. Not tonight when seeing Naruto with the Hyuuga so close is making his skin crawl, he loathes it.

Sasuke wants what Hinata has. The closeness, the whispers and caresses.

A seed of hope bloomed over Naruto's heart, spreading happiness all over him. The alcohol in his body is making his ears hum but he's 100% sure that Sasuke just bit the hook to his lame pick-up line.

Naruto is a ninja, a very drunk ninja, but still he can move quicker than the average person. Not that it takes too much to reduce the distance between them, three big steps and Naruto's face is closer than ever to Sasuke's.

The blond brushed some of the stray hair covering Sasuke's face and tucked it behind his ear.

"I'd love to be your boyfriend, Sasuke"

It's not their first kiss, not even the second, but it was the first time that they had their eyes closed. Willing and holding on to each other tightly without the threat of being disturbed.

Sasuke's arm automatically encircled around Naruto's waist, drawing him closer. Naruto's hands are pressed on both sides of Sasuke's face pulling him closer and drawing himself tighter against him as if there's still a hairsbreadth of distance that needs to be filled.

Naruto's lips tingle as it creeps from Sasuke's lips to his chin, to his jaw, below his ears. All thoughts have escaped him leaving only the desire to be close to this one person that he's pathetically pining over for many years.

Naruto nibbled on the fleshy part of Sasuke's ears and found himself wondering whether Sasuke is averse to getting his ears pierced. Because he would love for Sasuke to have one, and wouldn't mind wrapping his tongue against it someday.

"Oh shit, kinky, dobe", Sasuke groaned underneath him and accidentally banged his head to the wall exposing the expanse of his neck.

Naruto is blissful and cannot find it in himself to stop and worry about petty things like what will happen to their friendship because this right here tastes better than any kind of friendship he's shared with Sasuke.

Sasuke's hand is clutched at the fabric of Naruto's shirt his one leg bent in between Naruto's thighs grazing just right to feel the hard line of arousal from the blond.

"I'll miss you, Sasuke"

 _You don't have to_ , Sasuke wanted to say, and he would have if he's out of his mind.

But Sasuke is sober. He is sober though his whole being is drunk with the feel of Naruto's lips, his body, his breath, his words… He cannot for the life of him break this moment with words that will take Naruto's closeness away, at least for tonight, he's not ready yet.

Though he wants to. He's oh so tempted.

Naruto's consciousness is suspended in wakefulness and sleep, comfortable in Sasuke's embrace and occasional kisses. Tongue loose and generous with words. Words like I love your hair Sasuke, or why are your lips so soft, Sasuke, or you're beautiful Sasuke or, why do you insist on leaving, Sasuke? Are mumbled too close to his skin, it almost feels like a sensual kiss.

And Sasuke lays there with his legs tangled with Naruto's. With Sasuke's arm encircled around Naruto's waist and face turned towards the blond gazing into his trusting blue and honest eyes. Fingertips drumming and scratching his approval in the exposed skin of Naruto's hip.

He revels in the warmth of Naruto's arms as it cushions his head while they lay down on their adjacent mats. He revels in the sensation of Naruto's roaming fingers as it traces patterns on his chest.

Soft, hushed words fill the still room until Naruto's consciousness faded.

"I'll be back Naruto, I promise"

Tilting his head down, Sasuke brushed his lips over slightly parted lips and finally settled down to sleep.

* * *

I was a bit hesitant to post this in fear of breaking the whole untouchable atmosphere between Naruto and Sasuke's previous interaction (Evening Ritual fic). But WTH I really want them to kiss.


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